It's Simply Madness
by foolishmundanes
Summary: Tessa Gray is your average security guard working along with Officers Gideon and Gabriel Lightwood, and Jem Carstairs at your average asylum. But the only problem is that a certain black-haired and blue-eyed psycho is absolutely determined to drive Tessa insane. Rated T for language.
1. Chapter 1

Tessa Gray was sitting in mental asylum, eating her lunch. She didn't have a mental disorder, but she was a guard working at the place along with Jem Carstairs, Gabriel and Gideon Lightwood, and some other guards that she rarely associated with like Bridget and Lucy…the names go on. But she mainly hung out with Jem and the Lightwoods.

It was lunchtime at the dinner hall and Tessa had her usual ham sandwich (no cheese, thank you) and some grapes. Jem, one of her best friends, had walked over to her, sitting down and attempting to relax in the uncomfortable tables.

"God, I can see why they're all insane," Jem said, grimacing, "these seats are driving me freaking crazy."

Tessa rolled her eyes. "Men. You'd think they'd survive a tiny thing such as uncomfortable lunch tables."

He looked baffled. "I'll have you know that this just simply a minority—"

"Both of you, shut up," Gideon said, surprising both Tessa and Jem. He had just come out of nowhere. "There are rumors going around that we have a newbie."

The three of them grinned mischievously. "Great," Tessa said, clapping her hands together. "I love scaring the newbies."

Gideon waved his hand over to his younger brother, summoning Gabriel who immediately approached them. "Gabe," Gideon said. "You have any more information about the new guy?"

Gabriel nodded once, gripping onto the gun in his pocket with a hand. "Just saw him. About Jem's age. Dark hair. Blue eyes." He shrugged. "I pulled his file and—"

Tessa gaped. "You _pulled _his _file_?" she asked incredulously. "Lightwood, you idiot." She threw a grape at him, but it flew into his mouth and he smirked at her.

"Cheeky bastard," Tessa muttered under her breath.

"Tessa's right, though," Jem said suddenly. "You remember the last time a guard tried looking at someone's files."

Everyone was silent. What had happened was Jessamine Lovelace, a former guard, had tried looking over at a person in the hospital's files. She was caught by the head of the place, Axel Mortmain. The next day she was found dead in the girl's bathroom.

"Damn it, Carstairs," Gideon grinned. "I was having a perfectly good day."

"What're you going to do, shoot me?" Jem rolled his eyes.

Gideon laughed. "I might have to."

Gabriel said, "Are you sure about that, brother? Sophie likes the young man."

Gideon was then serious. He shook his head. "Don't talk about Sophie," he told them softly, pointing a scolding finger, and then walked off.

Everyone else was silent. They all knew that Gideon had a soft spot her. She wasn't a guard like them, but she was schizophrenic. She was nice and Tessa liked her. Gideon a bit more than liked her, even though it probably wasn't a good idea.

"Well, anyway," Gabriel said, breaking the silence. "The new kid. The name's William Herondale. It says bipolar, but there's a little note on to the side that it's not usual. Minor depression. Rough childhood." Jem and Tessa exchanged looks. These people were dangerous, but that didn't mean that they couldn't feel at least a little bad for them.

"Ah," Tessa said shortly. She took a bite of one of her grapes.

Gabriel looked back in the direction his brother went off to. "Well, I'm going to follow Gideon. He can't be completely safe in a place like this." And there he went.

Jem looked over at Tessa. "I'm curious," he told her. "Wanna go meet the new kid?"

Tessa grinned. "Of course."

* * *

Bridget walked over to Tessa and Jem with a dangerous look on her face. "Where do you two think you're going?" she asked with a distinct Scottish accent.

"Relax, Bridget," Jem said, smiling. "We're just doing our jobs."

She rolled her eyes. "Right. I'm sure you are." She crossed her arms. "We're not supposed to associate with them."

Tessa shrugged. "So? It's not like anyone's here to scold us or anything."

"Cameras," Bridget reminded.

Tessa clenched her teeth. God, she was impossible. "It should be encouraged. Show them that they're not in a completely strict environment. Make them feel a little better, at _least_."

Bridget sighed. No one could ever convince her to do anything, and if someone did, that was a rarity. So Tessa was extremely surprised when she just grumbled, "Fine," and stormed off.

Jem grinned at her. "Wow. Didn't think that'd work."

"Are you _doubting_ me, Jem?"

"Not at all, mistress." He shook his head with a smile. Tessa brightened and pointed at a guy slouching against the wall, picking at his food with disinterest, his blue eyes downcast.

"You think that's Herondale?" she asked. He nodded with a 'yeah.' Tessa narrowed her eyes and noticed a guy in the dining hall jumping onto someone. "I'll check on him. There's a guy over there that's now choking Blackthorn."

Jem sighed, shaking his head. "Not _again_." He ran to the north side of the place. "_Wayland! We talked about this already!_"

Tessa exhaled sharply through her nostrils. _Jace_, she thought disappointedly. _He was doing so well._ Tessa walked around the tables and sat down next to the new guy. His eyes flicked to hers for a second. She smiled. He looked back at his food, sighing an irritated sigh.

Her eyebrows shot up.

She was still, and he was ignoring her. So that's how he was going to be, huh? "Hi," she said abruptly. "I'm Tessa."

His plastic spork mixed the beans on his tray around. "Should I care?" he asked bitterly.

She stared at him, before answering, "No, I guess not." Tessa bit her lip. "I guess I'll be leaving then."

She stood up and brushed herself off. She shouldn't have expected him to be at least a little kinder. After all, this was a freaking asylum. _Maybe I should go check on Sophie for Gideon. _She took the first step away from him before he said:

"Will."

"Excuse me?" She turned around. He was looking up at her. _Hot damn,_ she thought and sucked in her breath. Tessa hadn't really gotten to see his full face, just his profile. He had dark inky locks of hair that curled slightly at the reach of his neck, and fell in front of his mysterious dark eyes that looked almost violet, and he had full lips.

"My name," he said slowly, "is Will." She nodded once, slowly. Will sighed with an exasperated look, "Can you leave?"

Tessa nodded, and spun around on her heel. She saw Jem holding off an angry Jace Wayland and a terrified Julian Blackthorn to the side. Tessa ran to help and pulled Julian's shoulders carefully and walked him to the opposite side of the room.

"Hey, hey. Jules," Tessa said, her hand on his arm. Julian, even though younger than her, was taller than Tessa. It wasn't exactly common, considering Tessa was pretty tall compared to other girls and even some guys. She had to settle for placing her hand on his lower arm. "You okay? You got a bruise on your cheek." Julian nodded once.

"I'm okay," he told her. "Can I just go to my room, now? I just wanna paint." Painting for Julian was highly encouraged. It was therapeutic for him, and he was a great artist.

"Yeah," she said. "Do you want me to get Emma?" Those two were best friends and they were almost inseparable. It was actually kind of cute.

He nodded once.

She escorted him to the hallway and radioed Gideon to go fetch Emma and bring her to the right wing, room twelve.

"_Affirmative_," he said afterwards. She pulled a ring of keys from her belt and found one to enter the room. She unlocked the door and stepped inside, a twin-sized bed in the corner and light shining in from a window in the top. The room was square shaped with tile floors.

"Wow," Tessa took a walk around the room, "this is really depressing."

"Tell me about it," Julian muttered.

She stood outside the room and told him, "Okay, well. I'll leave the room unlocked for Emma. I'm hoping I can trust you both…" Tessa gave him a pointed look. "I could get fired and things could get a bit stricter around here." Although she wasn't that worried. They were the most normal out of everyone there. Trustworthy enough.

"No worries, Officer."

Tessa laughed. "Oh, gosh. Please don't. Just Tessa." She turned around. "Later, Jules."

"Later, Tessa."

And she left. She spotted Gideon at the end of the hallway and walked over to him, spotting Emma next to him. He nodded to her and she did the same, pointing to where he should bring her.

And she walked off.

* * *

"So," she told Gabriel, "I got to meet the new kid."

Gabriel crossed his arms and leaned back. "That one over there?" he nodded to his right, where Will was. Everyone had to be outdoors, even if it was surrounded by this incredibly tall, supercharged gate. Lucy and Bridget were on the opposite ends of Gabriel and Tessa, and Jem and Gideon were on the sides.

"Yeah," she said. She scrunched up her nose. "He's bitter."

"I can't see why he wouldn't be. His parents were psychos," Gabriel reminded.

Tessa sighed and she adjusted her hat with one hand, "Unfortunately, as well as a lot of others in here."

Will was began engaging in a conversation with Sophie. Tessa's eyes widened. "Gabriel," she hit his arm once. "Gabriel, he's talking to Sophie." His green eyes landed on him. "Should we worry?"

Gabriel shrugged. "Keep an eye on him. If something happens, don't be afraid to approach him."

"Got it."

So she watched and Sophie looked confused. Will looked calm the whole time. She looked distant as she talked. Suddenly Will looked rather cross and said something that made her flinch. Tessa slowly walked closer and Sophie seemed horrified.

"Mr. Herondale, I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to back away," Tessa said sternly. She used a softer tone when she spoke, "Sophie, can you go over to Officer Lightwood?" She didn't have to clarify. She nodded once and she walked hurriedly to Gideon.

Will shoved his hands in his pockets. "Mr. Herondale, what the hell did you think you were doing?" Tessa nearly shouted at him. Sophie was their friend. Not just because Gideon liked her, but because she was actually one of the kinder people here. And so far, Will didn't seem like someone who would be exceptionally nice to her.

He shrugged helplessly. "I was just talking to her." _He has an accent,_ she noted. _British._ She just stood there, examining him.

"Well?" Will snapped. "Don't just stand there."

She took a step back and scratched her head. Not wanting to get him angry, she said, "Look, just please don't talk to Sophie without good reason. Okay?"

Will looked unimpressed.

"I'm serious." As she walked away, she reminded herself that he's done something to get himself here. Most end up here because of murder, and there's a likely chance that he's here for that as well.

Tessa walked to Sophie and Gideon. She was sitting down below him, tying and untying his shoes. He didn't really seem to mind though.

Tessa crouched down. "Hey," she said to Sophie. "You all right?"

She nodded. "Yeah. That guy over there is really mean though." She pointed to Will, and Tessa saw that he was already staring at them. A curious stare, but it freaked Tessa out nonetheless.

"What did he say?"

She said nothing. Sophie's eyes, a luminous dark hazel, hardened and she ran her finger lightly down the scar on her face. Tessa's jaw tightened.

Gideon noticed their conversation. "What happened?" he asked Tessa, crouching down as well with a small smile.

"New guy," she said, not looking at him. "Don't look at him. Not now, he's staring at us."

"Creepy," Gideon faked a shiver.

Tessa muttered, "That's what I thought, too."

Sophie hugged her knees to her chest and stared at the sky, her face blank. "Did you talk to him?" Gideon asked, taking Sophie's hand in his. She broke her gaze at the sky and smiled at him.

"Yeah," she said. "I didn't want to make an enemy out of him, though, so I gave him a warning."

"Which was?"

"To stay away from her and not talk to her without good reason," she shrugged. Relief flooded his face and she smiled at him. "She won't get hurt. We'll protect her." She placed her hand on his shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze before using it to stand up.

"I gotta get back to my station. See ya, Lightwood." She gave him a mock salute and he grinned, doing the same.

As Tessa walked back to her guarding point, she glanced at Will once more who was looking more agitated than ever. _  
_

Her radio came alive and Jem's voice came out of it, scaring her out of her thoughts. "_Officer Theresa Gray, report your status!_" She jumped and met eyes with Jem and scowled at him from the distance, adjusting her hat properly. He was laughing.

"Damn you, Carstairs," she said into the radio. "Now shut up, and let me do my job."

"_The new guy's looking awfully amused. Over,_" he spoke. Tessa mentally groaned. She was making a fool out of herself.

"Today is not my day," she sighed. "Now can you at least be a little quiet? There are people here and I'm trying to look professional."

"_Yes, and you're failing."_

"Ugh."

He was chuckling. "_Ugh, indeed._"

She didn't know where the conversation would spiral to next. She spotted Gabriel and asked Jem, "How's Gabriel holding up?"

"_Good. Kind of. I don't know._" She distinctly heard him talking to him. "_He said he's bored._"

"Aren't we all," she said flatly. "Did you hear Wayland's gone to one of those white padded rooms?" Tessa shivered.

"_He did?_"

"Yeah."

"_Guess he's really crossed the line this time._"

"Must've, yeah." She inhaled the fresh, cool air of winter. It was nice, and she would've enjoyed it more if it wasn't filled with killers. "All right, Jem, it was nice talking to you, but we should probably get back on duty."

"_See you, Officer._"

"Later, Carstairs."

Someone's gaze was burning in her head and it made Tessa extremely uncomfortable. But in a way, she was used to that—staring at the security guards so it wasn't anything she hadn't experienced before. But this was different.

Tessa's eyes met Will's, only he didn't look away like most people. _Of course,_ she thought. Was this guy just going to keep staring at her? It was seriously getting kind of creepy.

A part of her just wanted to march up to him and ask, "_Would you like to take a picture? It'll last longer!" _But at the same time, that phrase was used quite a bit so he probably wouldn't care. So she stayed put.

She was starting to feel really uncomfortable under his gaze. It was like a predator watching their prey.

She couldn't go up to him.

She can't. She was on duty.

But at the same time…

_No_, these people were here for a reason, just like him, and she had to do her job.

Tessa straightened and observed the area she was stationed to look after, holding her gun tighter against her chest. She was taught how to fight by 'the best.' And by the best that meant it was Gabriel and Gideon. Which Gabriel bragged about almost all the time.

And here they were, all friends working at the same place.

Will was still staring at her and she took a brief moment to look at him and he was leaning back against a boulder, raising his eyebrows and looking very amused. She felt the blood rush to her face and she continued examining her area. She saw in the corner of her eye him shaking his head.

She could almost hear the "tsk, tsk" sound he made.

Suddenly infuriated by him, she had to lean back against the wall and literally had to restrain herself from marching over to him. The thought hadn't even occurred to her that one of the other guards would question her. Surely Bridget. Lucy, perhaps.

Jem would ask but wouldn't stop her.

She looked around and saw him stand up and walk in her direction. He was grinning of course and crossed his arms.

"I'm on duty, Herondale. Don't distract me."

Will raised an eyebrow. "Am I distracting you? I'm very sorry, but I should've warned you that people do tend to find me a little _distracting_."

"Just sit over there and count blades of grass or whatever." Tessa let out an agitated exhale. "And let me do my job _please_."

"You didn't seem to mind after I talked to that Collins girl."

Tessa took a sharp inhale. "Don't talk about her."

"Why not?" he pushed. Why must he do this? Why was Will so determined on getting on Tessa's nerves?

She didn't look at him. "If I told you, you would only keep bothering her."

Will shrugged. "Maybe. Maybe not."

"I don't trust you."

"You shouldn't," Will said.

"Then why should I tell you?" Tessa shot.

"So then I'll have a reason to leave her alone," he replied calmly.

She considered this for a moment. She didn't trust him and he just told her that she shouldn't. And besides, why would he do such a thing anyway?

Tessa slid her gun in its holster. "Fine," she said after a while, avoiding eye contact. "Fine, I'll tell you. Sophie just so happens to be one of my friends. Happy?"

Will gave her the look her parents gave her when she confessed something when Tessa was younger. "Now was that so hard?"

Tessa groaned, rolling her eyes and continued looking over at the field and not him. "Why are you even here?"

Tessa locked eyes with Jem from the distance. He gave her a questioning look and she shrugged, mouthing _I don't know!_

Will had a sly smile on his face. "I just happened to notice you staring at me and—"

Tessa was incredulous. "I only stared at you because you were staring at _me_!"

"—I know that even though I'm incredibly handsome, it'd be nice if you could exhibit _some_ self-control," he finished, leaning against the wall beside her.

She scoffed. "This is a lovely surprise. You're also a major asshole."

"Thanks, love, but start telling me things I didn't already know, alright?" She wanted to slap the smirk off his face.

Tessa closed her eyes and took a deep breath. _Hitting people in the asylum was not in my job description, _Tessa reminded herself. "Look. I'll be nice. Go away before I—"

"Go to my bedroom and rip off all of my clothes?" Will suggested.

Tessa's face was red with fury. "OFFICER GABRIEL LIGHTWOOD, GET OVER HERE," she shouted in her radio. Her fists were clenched and Will actually looked surprised.

Gabriel made his way over there quickly. "What's the problem?"

Tessa was completely flustered. "This—this _douchebag_—wouldn't leave me alone." She gestured wildly to Will.

He raised an eyebrow. "The new guy?"

"_Yes_, the new guy!" Tessa looked crazy.

Gabriel stood there for a moment, observing the two. "Tessa, I think you'd better calm down."

Will burst out laughing.

Tessa stared at Gabriel. "_What_?"

He shrugged. "Well, I'm just saying that that's not really a good reason why you could've asked me to come here but…"

"This idiot is driving me insane," Tessa snarled.

Will raised his eyes suggestively. "In what way?"

"You—!" She looked over to her friend. "Gabriel!" She almost sounded like she whining.

"Sorry, Tessa." He bowed his head once before going back to his post. "Call me next time on a _better_ reason."

She scowled. Tessa looked over at Will who was now, weirdly enough, sitting on the ground staring ahead. "Herondale, are you alright…?" She crouched down. He was digging his nails into his arms, hard enough to draw blood.

"Of course I am. I just so happened to be making myself bleed for fun," Will replied casually. She stared at him. "Never mind. I'm off." And he stood up, and left.

Tessa shook her head. She was distracted. She let him distract her. _Never again,_ she silently promised. She straightened once more and was careful of her surroundings, because nothing bypasses Tessa Gray.

"_Gray, what the hell just happened?_" Gideon said into her radio.

She gulped. She pressed on it and said back, "I have absolutely no idea."

* * *

**A/N: **_Was that a good place to leave it off? I don't know._ _Anyway, if you liked it, please favorite/follow and review so I can post a next chapter :) Can I at least get five or more reviews for chapter two? Thank you… :D_

_I'm not sure if this is accurate or not and Tessa thinks she's good at her job, but…_

_There's a chance that I might do a weekly update. Not about daily like The New Girl but weekly because these chapters are longer._

_Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed it. _

**Disclaimer: **_I do not own The Infernal Devices or anything else mentioned in this story and I'm doing some crazy research on asylums and stuff so just please cut me some slack because I don't know anything._


	2. Chapter 2

Gideon stood with Tessa at the end of the hallway with Gabriel and Jem guarding the other side. Bridget and Lucy were in the left wing and they were guarding the right. Everyone had to be absolutely quiet.

But it was so cold inside none of them could just stand still. They let out heavy breaths and Tessa's teeth were even chattering. She whispered to Gideon, "I l-left my jacket in the other r-room. I'm f-freezing."

Gideon didn't look at her but he chuckled and swung off his jacket with one arm in one move. He handed it to her. Tessa shook her head but kept her gaze in front of her. "I can't wear it, Gideon! You must be cold too!"

"_Take it_," he whispered insistently. She frowned but took it, putting one arm in the other before sliding her gun in its holster and putting it on the other arm. She took her gun out again.

"Thanks," she said quietly. Gideon said nothing. The jacket was leather on the outside but was warm from both the fleece and from him wearing it. It was big on her but that only provided more warmth. She stifled a yawn. Only about a couple more hours until she switches shifts.

"Gray…" Gideon said. He's the only one who called her that. Everyone else called her Tessa. Obviously she didn't mind, considering it was her name. Everyone addressed each other by their last names usually but Tessa's was probably the only one they wouldn't really use, unless Mortmain called her over. He would call her "Miss Gray", but that didn't really count. But she liked when Gideon called her that because it wasn't used all the time, so it was kind of special in a way. "You're tired," he pointed out.

"No I'm not." But the yawn that escaped her mouth betrayed her.

"Yes, you are. I'm calling Henry," he spoke in a low voice.

Tessa shook her head. "No!" Her voice still had to be kept down so it was just a loud whisper. "I'll be up for a few more hours. Don't call Henry."

"I'm _calling_ him." He pressed on his radio, changing the station. "Henry Branwell, do you read me?"

The response was immediate. "Yes! Yes, Gideon, perfectly."

"_Shh_." He rolled his eyes and quickly gave Tessa a look. "You don't mind if you come in and switch for Officer Gray, do you?"

Tessa gave him a look of disapproval.

Gideon grinned at her.

"Oh, no, not at all! I'll be there immediately," Henry spoke quickly. Tessa looked down and sighed.

"Have a good sleep, Tessa," he whispered and she hit his arm once. He chuckled.

Tessa walked across the hallway, distracted by her own thoughts. She missed her brother Nathaniel. Even if he was notoriously lazy, arrogant, and an alcoholic. Like dor example, when her aunt watched over the two when Tessa was fourteen and Nathaniel was seventeen, he was already drinking and would come over with hangovers, to which her aunt and her would help him to recover.

And since was all grown up now, he became inebriated much more often. But the point was, it had been awhile since she last saw him. Ever since Aunt Harriet died, things have become complicated with their family.

Plus her parents were dead. So Nate was basically all she had.

Tessa thought about her previous life in the loud bustle of New York, about her old home. Her parents. Her brother and when he taught her how to dance—

"Nice jacket."

Tessa was jolted and turned around to find the familiar violet-blue eyes of William Herondale. She narrowed her eyes. "Aren't you supposed to be asleep?"

"Aren't you supposed to be on watch?" he shot back. "Because if I'm here, you're doing a terrible job at it."

Tessa was too tired to get into a fight. "My shift's done." She continued walking but he followed her. Not looking at him, she inquired, "What are you doing? And how did you escape Bridget and Lucy and them?"

Will's hair was tousled. He gave her a helpless shrug. "I'm following you. And they're too busy talking to each other to notice."

Bridget's face popped into her mind. _Hypocrite…_ Tessa thought with a grimace.

"Well, I'm not doing anything interesting right now so you're kind of wasting your time," she told him frankly and continued walking through the twisted turns of each hall.

"I was bored," he said simply.

Tessa sighed. "And I, Will, am tired." She spotted her dormitory. He continued following her and when Tessa stopped in front of the dorm, he did too. "You're not allowed to go in here."

Will didn't protest. Instead, he commented, "That's not your jacket."

Tessa gave him a questioning look. "After all of that, you're still focused on who the jacket belongs to?"

"Well, yeah." Will said it like it was obvious. "It's much too big to be yours."

Tessa nodded. "It's my friend's."

He didn't give up, though. Unfortunately. "That's not a girl's jacket."

She looked down. "I never said it was."

"You said it was your friend's."

Tessa frowned. The only real friend she had that was a girl was Sophie Collins. Tessa wasn't a tomboy but she liked to be independent so she was practically alone. Jem was her best friend as well as Gideon and Gabriel, but they were the people that kind of got rid of Tessa's shyness in a way, although that didn't mean that she wasn't completely shy without them.

And besides, why would he have been upset if it _was_ a guy's jacket?

"I did," she said. She had to change the subject; she wasn't really comfortable with it. And, he was breaking the rules by being here. Curfew is curfew. "Do you promise that you'll go to sleep _now_?"

Will cracked a grin. "_Promise_? I'm not in first grade, Tess." She stopped once she heard him call her 'Tess.' No one's ever called her that before. Her brother called her Tessie, but it was never Tess. And admittedly, she kind of liked it. "It seems kind of harsh considering it's just sleep."

"_Sed lex dura lex,_" said Tessa automatically. "'_The Law is hard but it is the Law_.'"

Will sighed and shook his head. "That's stupid. But fine. See you tomorrow, Tess."

She waved lazily before walking into her dormitory.

* * *

"Another day, another headache," said a voice behind Tessa. She turned around and immediately grimaced. _Ethan. _He instantly smiled at her.

"Ethan," Tessa said stiffly. He was a fellow security guard but barely did his job. Not that anyone seemed to care. Everyone was too afraid of Axel Mortmain to meet up with him and report him and the cameras watching – well, no one seemed to care. In this asylum, as long as nobody murdered anyone, the place was fine.

This was absolutely horrible in Tessa's opinion, as well as many others'.

Ethan was also, a total flirt. Or at least he thought he was. His pickup lines were cliché, and he was totally annoying. And Tessa was often the victim.

"Can I have your picture so I can show Santa what I want for Christmas?" Ethan asked with a grin.

Tessa blinked. "Oh my God." (**A/N: Just think of Trisha Cappelletti from The Most Popular Girls in School saying that and there you go**)

She was about to walk away but he hesitated before advancing on her making her squeal in surprise. "I hope you know CPR because you take my breath away."

Tessa made a choking sound.

"Leave me alone, Ethan." Tessa shuddered. His pick-up lines were disturbing her.

"Did it hurt when you fell from Heaven?"

She didn't want to but she smiled slightly at that. Ethan brightened. She chuckled, "Okay, Ethan, you can stop now."

Sometimes all he says are just simply bad pick-up lines.

"Are you from Tennessee? 'Cause you're the only ten I see."

"I give that a ten on the lameness scale," Tessa replied before walking away. As she did, she heard him shout out in the dining hall:

"Great legs! What time do they open?"

And sometimes they are quite offending.

Tessa winced and shut her eyes tightly when she heard cat-calls and whistles behind her. She turned around and gave him a death glare to which he backed away at with terrified eyes.

The absolute worst part of this was that everyone was watching and was practically an audience, while Ethan and Tessa were both on the front stage.

She scanned the room and looked for Jem, Gideon, or Gabriel…and even Bridget. But none were there to help her in this completely humiliating situation of hers. But Will was there. She spotted him and he had a disgusted look on his face.

_Thank God,_ she thought, not being the only one who thought this to be incredibly humiliating. Then there was Sophie who had ushered in Jem, pointing to Tessa. Their eyes locked and Tessa's heart practically leaped with joy knowing that she was about to be saved.

He stood in the front, and announced, "All right, go back to eating your lunches." Everyone groaned but nevertheless did so.

Jem went up to Ethan, towering over him as he threatened him. Tessa took Sophie away so she didn't have to hear the things that made Tessa want to sing in delight and dance. But that would've been really weird, so…no.

"So," Tessa said, "how's your day been?"

Sophie smiled and sat down. "It's been good. Will hasn't talked to me."

She mentally thanked him. "That's good."

"Yeah. I've been meaning to ask you, Tessa, but why is there glitter all over your clothes?" Sophie asked with genuine curiosity. Tessa gave her a questioning look, looking down at her uniform to find no glitter on it whatsoever.

One of the effects of schizophrenia is delusions. For Sophie's sake, Tessa brushed herself off.

"Is it gone?" Tessa asked.

Sophie nodded and breathed a sigh of relief. "Yeah, it's gone. It was giving me a headache."

Tessa smiled. "Good. I'm going to go watch the doors, okay?" No one was there and 'ESCAPE' was practically written on there.

"All right, Tessa. See you later." Tessa stood up and walked to the door that leads to the exit. But Will, alas, was following her once more.

"What were you doing?" he asked, looking actually curious.

Tessa fought the urge to laugh. "Wow. Okay, cool, I've got a stalker." She tightened Gideon's jacket on her waist. She still needed to give it to him but he was watching the security footage from last night. She'd ask Gabriel but today, all she had was Jem.

Then her eyes widened. _Jem_.

"You wish. You okay?" he asked, taking notice of her face.

She was grinning. "You haven't met Jem yet, have you?"

Will blinked. "What? You mean like _To Kill a Mockingbird_ or...?"

She shook her head, but was impressed with his knowledge. "Come on, I'll show you." She grabbed his hand but he swatted her away.

"What do you think you're doing?" he asked fiercely.

Tessa gulped. "Oh, um. Sorry. Here, uh, just follow me." _Not that I needed to ask you to do it,_ she nearly said out loud.

She walked over to where Jem was, still talking with Ethan. He noticed Tessa and gave him one last glare before pulling the two of them to the side. "Hello, Tessa. Is this the newbie?" Tessa nodded with a smile.

"Will, this is James Carstairs," she introduced.

Jem's eyes flickered over to him and looked at him closely before saying, "Jem," he said. "Everyone calls me Jem." His gaze took in Will with a genuine curiosity. "You can too."

"Well, if everyone calls you that, it's hardly any special favor to me, is it?" Will's tone was acid. Tessa's eyes widened and she fought the urge to slap his arm and scold, _Will._ She stared at him incredulously.

But Jem was unfazed. "No, I suppose not," he said gently.

Tessa coughed. _Oh, Will_, she thought with a frown. "Well, er, this is Will—"

"I'm Will Herondale," he said, interrupting her. She sighed, looking down. But unbeknownst to Tessa, they shook hands for _her_ sake.

She stood up and told Jem, "I'm going to look for Gideon. I need to return his jacket." For a moment, Will's face flashed with something she couldn't exactly identify, but it was gone as soon as it came.

Jem nodded. "He's in the—"

She held up a hand. "I know where he is." And she made her way over there.

* * *

Tessa knocked on the door to the Security Room. The door was open, surprisingly, and she opened the door, revealing a drowsy Gideon. She said in her strictest voice, "Lightwood, quit sleeping on the job!" He practically flew up into the ceiling. She smirked at him.

Gideon looked at her up and down, taking her in. "Oh, it's you. Don't do that!" he said, pointing a finger at her. She smiled innocently.

"I'm here to return your jacket," she told him, taking it off her waist and handed to him which he gladly took. "Thanks."

He shrugged. "It was nothing," Gideon said simply. "But you know what? That Peterson guy is such an asshat."

Tessa knitted her eyebrows together. "How did you know about that?"

Gideon gave her a look that read_ seriously_. He pointed toward the screens next to him and Tessa flopped on the chair next to him.

"Right," she mumbled. "Sorry. I'm stupid. But you can't hear anything."

"No," Gideon said. "But when you were walking away, Ethan said something that caught like everyone's attention. Even yours. And then Jem was like… And then you went to Sophie—thank you for that, by the way—and now Herondale's just like—"

Tessa looked over to the screens immediately. "Herondale? What's he up to now?" _Oh my God,_ she thought immediately. Tessa swore. "Why aren't we doing anything?"

"Because it's rightfully deserved."

"_Idiot_," she muttered under her breath. "I'll see you later, Gideon." He mock-saluted her and she ran out of there to the dining hall to where Will was pinning an Ethan, who had a bloody nose, against the wall, bringing his knee up to his unmentionables. Thank God no one was paying attention.

"Will," she said, buying his attention. He let Ethan go who instantly plummeted to the floor, groaning. "What are you doing?" Tessa snapped.

"Bringing justice," he said proudly. "This insult of a human being was talking to you like that. And you acted like it wasn't the first time. So I'm giving this asshole what he deserves."

Tessa huffed, shaking her head disappointedly. "Will, hasn't anyone ever told you that violence is never the answer?"

Will winked at her, a smug smile on his face. Tessa sighed. "Look, I'll let you off the hook _this time_. But please do not try to hurt anyone else here. Especially a _security guard_. Seriously, about that—are you out of your mind?"

"Apparently, if I'm here." Will shrugged. "Anyway, nice seeing you, Tess." He walked away with a quick wink and Tessa just stared after him, eyebrow raised, before a smile graced her lips.

She walked over back to the Security Room and opened the door once more before locking it. Gideon raised both of his eyebrows, eyes flicking between Tessa and the door. She rolled her eyes.

She sat down in the seat she sat in before. "Since I'm here, I might as well keep watch with you."

Gideon waggled his eyebrows.

"Lightwood, what the hell?"

"I saw that. With you and Herondale." He grinned and swayed side-to-side in his chair, "Anything you wanna tell me?" he asked in a sing-song voice.

Tessa rubbed her temples. "God. Nothing happened."

"He winked at you. Your heart must be soaring!" he said loudly, waving his hand in a half-circle.

"Whatever, Gideon. Now do your job."

"Buzz kill."

"Oh, well," she said flatly.

And for the rest of the day, they watched the security footage, this time acting completely serious.

* * *

**A/N: **_Yay for new chapters! I love you all so much. Your reviews mean so much to me you guys. Seriously._

_Updated twice in a day... Whew. *breathes sigh of relief* This came quicker than I expected._

**Disclaimer: **_I do not own The Infernal Devices or anything else mentioned in this story._


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thank you all so much for the lovely reviews :)**

"Will, you can't follow me everywhere," Tessa told him sternly. He grinned at her. "I'm _serious_. Now go eat lunch."

"I'm not hungry," he said.

"Then go make friends with people." Tessa shrugged.

"I hate people," he replied casually.

She blinked. "Oh. Well, um. Sorry to hear that, I guess. How about Jem?"

Will sighed, shaking his head at her. "You just can't wait to get rid of me, can you?" He didn't look offended or anything, just playful. She was _supposed_ to be in the Security Rooms, and there she stood in front of it. And Will had once again followed her.

"I'm not that interesting," Tessa said simply, ignoring his words.

"I'd rather be with you than any of them," Will said earnestly, yet put his hand over his heart mockingly. Tessa rolled her eyes.

"Right." She opened the door and Will began to wander off. Tessa groaned. She stuck her head out, and he, as if knowing she would do that, turned and looked in her direction with a broad grin on his face.

"Couldn't resist?" Will raised an eyebrow.

Tessa scowled. "Are you trying to flirt with me, Herondale?"

Will shrugged, casually leaning against the wall. "Depends. Do you want to be flirted _with_?"

She shook her head. "Not really. Ethan—_Officer Peterson_ kind of ruined it for me." Will sort of deflated then. She gave him a sideways glance at that. "What's the matter?"

"Goodness, you like to pry, don't you," Will said very suddenly, his voice lower than usual, and was approaching her. The tone in his voice made her slowly inch to the wall. Tessa was taken aback. She needed to stop forgetting. He was toying with her. What sort of mental patient takes a sudden interest in _her_? Of all people.

And besides, he's not supposed to be completely sane. How does anyone forget these kinds of things in an asylum? There were constant reminders all over the place. "Or really, you just like to ask questions," Will corrected himself.

She spluttered, "Er, I, ummm…" Tessa backed against the wall. The glint in Will's eyes terrified her, but also interested her. The only thing she could hear was the sound of her heart pounding against her chest as he gave her a smirk, as if he knew all of her secrets. She had to choke out the words. "I need to…" She pointed frantically at the door that held the entrance to the Security Room next to her. "Door," Tessa said stupidly.

Will then stroked a finger carefully against her face: her cheekbones, her jaw, and the corner of her mouth. Although his hands were warm, Tessa shivered. She was flustered by the close proximity. She looked up at him, suddenly feeling very small under the blue gaze of Will Herondale, and he grinned once at her before stepping back.

"Hey, what's going on here?"

Tessa's head snapped to the direction of the voice she'd heard. There he stood—James Carstairs, who snuck a wink at his friend. She blushed furiously and her mouth must've dropped fifty feet to the floor in surprise. Then he grew serious as he looked at Will, gripping him by the shoulders and began to lead him away.

Except he was looking at Tessa directly in the eye.

"Not one for flirting, hmm," Will said with an evil smile on his face. Tessa scowled and marched into the Security Rooms. She distinctly heard him laughing before heading into the direction of the dining room, like she had asked.

Tessa made a frustrated noise before sitting down in the swivel chair she was ever so fond of, and began looking over the security tapes from the previous night.

* * *

Hours later, Tessa's eyes were tired and drooping from observing the screens for quite a long time. She hid a yawn into the sleeve of her uniform before going out to her post outside.

It wasn't that she hated being out there—it was definitely better than being inside—but the problem was that it was always freezing outside. Luckily, she wore long sleeves and had remembered to bring her jacket, so there was no need for Gideon to give Tessa his like last time.

She stood alongside Gabriel who kept complaining about the weather. "Why must it be so bloody cold?" Gabriel whispered harshly. She smirked at him and, purposely being obvious, tugged at her jacket and slowly spun around once. He gaped. "Where did you get that?"

"I own it," Tessa said. She kept her eyes straight ahead of her. "Duh."

"No," Gabriel rolled his eyes. "I _meant_ that you could've at least warned me about the weather."

She shrugged. "It's always a bit chilly outside, Lightwood," Tessa said merely.

He sighed, and with one hand, he balanced his head with his hand. "Yes, I suppose. I'm an idiot."

"Sure you are," Tessa grinned, "but I love you for that." He glared before laughing with Tessa, who was already laughing.

"I knew you loved me, Tessa," Gabriel joked.

She grinned at him. "Oh, yes. I've been meaning to keep it a secret, but I'm guessing I was much too obvious."

"That you were, Tessa. That you were."

Suddenly, a beeping noise came from their radios before a muffled voice that belonged to Gideon spoke, "_Quit your flirting, you two, and start doing what you're supposed to be doing_."

Tessa pressed the button on her radio and let out a dramatic sigh. "Sorry, Gideon. Maybe next time, Gabriel." He winked at her and they both laughed again.

"_God, you two_," Gideon said exasperatedly before dropping the call with them. Tessa saw that Sophie was once again next to him with a bright smile.

Suddenly Tessa said out of nowhere, realization dawning upon her, "Okay, come on, Gabe. Let's get serious now."

"Fine, fine." Gabriel grinned at her. A smile grew on her face involuntarily, but she had to immediately get rid of it.

"_Damn it. Tessa, can I get some backup?_" Jem's voice blared through the radio. Just to see what he was talking about, she instantly looked at Will, who just looked bored and not at all involved with the fight occurring not too far away from him.

"Is that a _fork_?" Gabriel asked with wide eyes.

Tessa got on her tiptoes to see better before answering, "I think so." She then ran to the location of the fight. Poor Julian Blackthorn was once again being victimized. What had he been doing?

"What's going on here?" Jem spoke in a booming voice, hand reaching his gun.

Emma and Jaime both furiously pointed at each other accusingly and they began shouting simultaneously, their voices blending together. Tessa sent them an irritated look. "Emma, you talk first."

Emma straightened, momentarily glaring at Jaime, and said, "He was taunting Julian and—look what he did!" She stroked the side of her inner arm, where her skin was red and was starting to bleed. "With a _plastic fork_."

"Jem, send her to the infirmary," Tessa ordered. He nodded once and put a careful hand on her shoulder, walking her away.

Then she stood in front of Jaime. "First of all, give me the fork." He did. "Now would you like to tell me your side of the story?"

He shrugged once. "Sure. Julian was threatening me—"

Julian scowled. "No I was not!"

"Yes you were, I remember it perfectly," Jaime said, crossing his arms.

Julian raised an eyebrow. "Oh, yeah? What did I say," he challenged.

"Both of you, stop," Tessa snapped. She pinched the bridge of her nose and looked over at Gabriel from behind her, gesturing for him to join her. He sauntered over to them.

"Lightwood, take him to his room," Tessa said, sighing and crouching down to Julian. Gabriel nodded once before following her orders and disappearing with Jaime.

Tessa smiled at Julian. "You alright?"

He ran a hand through his hair. "Yeah. I wish you'd stop saving me, though. I'm starting to feel weaker than I should." She laughed.

"So you'd rather stay here?" Tessa asked.

He nodded, but then paused. "Actually… No, I think I'll go to my room—if that's okay with you," he added quickly.

She nodded. "Of course it is. Let's go." She began to walk away and he followed her, and she saw Will. He was conversing with one of the Fairchilds and as soon as he noticed Tessa walking away with Julian, he seemed to have faltered. Unbeknownst to Tessa, he was watching her leave with curiosity, before briefly saying something and following after her.

Tessa turned around and saw him before pausing, causing Julian to do so as well. "Will, this isn't the time."

Will gasped. "You've no time for me? Tessa, this offending." She rolled her eyes.

Julian took a step towards him. "Herondale, right?"

"Is everybody going to refer to me as that?" he inquired, though exasperatedly.

Julian grinned. "Will Herondale. You're the talk of the whole place."

Will raised an eyebrow and looked at him with mild interest. "Am I," he said, bouncing once on his heels.

"Of course," Julian said, like it was obvious. "You're the new guy, after all."

Will smirked faintly. "So basically, everyone's devoting their time to talk about me?"

"You say it like it's a good thing."

"Isn't it?"

"Nope." Julian popped the 'p.' "Not really. You forget that most people here are maniacs."

Will looked at him in amusement. "And you aren't?"

Julian shrugged. "You could say that."

Tessa was watching them, eyes flicking back and forth. She suddenly felt small compared to their heights. They were both taller than her. Tessa, beginning to grow tired of the sudden postponement, cleared her throat very loudly.

The two boys both turned their attention to her, as if noticing her presence for the first time. Tessa huffed. "Well, I'm not sure if any of you remember this, but Julian's supposed to be going to his room, and Herondale, you still can't go."

"Actually," Julian abruptly said, "I think I'll stay."

Tessa took a deep breath, as if it were to calm her, and told him, "Well, call me if you decide to go back to your room." The dry tone in her voice made Julian's cheeks turned a faint shade of pink from embarrassment.

Honestly, she hadn't been exactly glad about the situation. It wasn't Julian's fault or anything, no, that wasn't that bad. The problem was that Will seemed to be the one who changed his mind. That instead of talking to her, he talked to Julian. And that, for some reason, upset her.

She walked away and back to Gabriel, but Will beat her to it. She looked at him once before staring straight ahead of her. "Don't you have somewhere to be?"

Will had a blank expression on his face. "What do you mean?"

"I thought you'd rather spend time with Julian," she coldly said, unable to help herself.

Then Will stopped in his tracks, his hand wrapping around her wrist, causing her to stop also, and gave her a lopsided grin. "Tessa," Will said in a low voice, "are you _jealous_?"

Tessa's eyes bulged out of her head. "Jealous? No!" She shook her head wildly. "Sorry to disappoint you, but I don't get jealous."

"Everyone gets jealous," Will said matter-of-factly.

"Really," Tessa said, a twisted smile on her face. "And when was the last time you got jealous, William Herondale?"

He scowled. "Don't use my name like it's a weapon against me."

"Whatever," said Tessa flatly. She wasn't supposed to be talking to him like this, anyway. She shook her head, and walked away, back to Gabriel.

But he had already caught up to her, unfazed. "Tessa, if I offended you—"

Tessa sighed, turning around. "I'll take you outside, Will."

"Tess," he groaned. "God. Look, I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings…"

She rolled her eyes. "Please, Will, save me the trouble."

He rose his hands up in surrender. "I tried, but if you're too proud to recognize that—"

Tessa stopped him right there. "You can't talk to me like that!"

"Can't I?" His eyes gleamed with stubbornness.

She was fuming at that point and just wanted to scream. She roughly grabbed Will's wrist, dragging him outside of the building as fast as she could without running. This time, he stayed silent and didn't recoil away like the last time. As she was approaching the doors, she was grateful when Gideon radioed her.

"_Gray, where the hell are you?" _Gideon questioned.

"I'm coming outside right now," she told him hastily. "Why? Miss me?"

"_Desperately._"

"Aw, Lightwood. I'm flattered." She tried not to show any of the irritation she felt towards Will to Gideon.

Then Will's eyes widened and realization dawned on his face. "Are you two…?"

Tessa gawked. "What—no! No, we are not!"

"_What was that, Tessa?_" He sounded confused.

She looked frantically at the wall, the floor, and was careful to avoid Will's eyes. But he was still trying to figure it out, and so he said, "So you're…_not_ together?"

The worst part was that Tessa was pressing the radio's button that allowed her to talk into it.

"_Oh, yes, we are. Tessa and I are madly in love_," Gideon joked.

Tessa couldn't deal with this. "Shut _up_, Gideon!" Her face felt like it was on fire, and this only added to her anger. "I can't believe you two." She looked at Will and said, with a scolding finger, "And we're not together! He's kidding."

"I just assumed…"

"Not the time, Will." They were greeted by the cool air that Tessa would never get used to. She yanked on Will's arm once and he picked up his pace. Once outside, she caught Gideon's eye and he sent her a puzzled look, but she dismissed it and let go of Will's arm. He rubbed it.

"Ouch," Will said. "You left red marks."

"Shut up."

"Sorry, sorry, not the time, I know." He held up a hand and rolled his eyes. "I've heard it all before."

"Good," Tessa sighed blissfully. "You're learning." Will chuckled before walking lazily to Julian and Emma.

When she walked back to Gabriel, she muttered, "I hate everything."

"Nice to see you too," he said back with a smile.

Tessa frowned. "I'm sorry. I'm not usually like this. Herondale's driving me insane." The wind turned into a gust that was aggressively slapping across her face.

"Sorry about that."

Tessa shrugged and pushed loose strands of hair back behind her ear. "I'll get used to it one day. Hopefully in that amount of time I wouldn't strangle him."

"You were taught by the best, after all," Gabriel pointed out.

Tessa rolled her eyes. "Shut up." But she was laughing.

* * *

**A/N: **_In which the characters are kinda OOC. Ah, well. Sorry if this isn't a good chapter. I've been writing it for the past few days, so I'm hoping it's good enough._

_Thank you all for the positive reviews! They're all greatly appreciated, thank you so much :)_

**Disclaimer: **_I do not own The Infernal Devices or anything else mentioned in this story. _


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: FIRST OFF: THE NEW CATCHING FIRE TRAILER AHHH!**

**Please, continue.**

Tessa hummed quietly, swinging around the ring of keys in her hand. She was in a bit of a happier mood, since she didn't have a shift to take over. There were a new set of guards that had come in, courtesy of Alexei de Quincey. And bless him for that. Tessa was beyond exhausted; she had been working harder in that week than in a whole month, constantly having to take over Bridget and Lucy's shifts. Why they needed the time off, nobody knew, or really cared.

Nobody really liked Bridget and Lucy. The two were inseparable, practically sisters, and they were both extremely nosy and incredibly rude. They had to stick their faces into everyone's business and it was really annoying. Tessa didn't _hate_ them, but she didn't like them either.

But they were taking some time off. Presumably to visit a family or something, but Tessa honestly didn't care about them, so she went off, faintly whistling as she stepped into her room.

She shut the door behind her and swiftly undid her hair which was up in a bun, letting the curls fall down and just barely touching her arms. She changed out of her uniform into a tank top and some sweatpants and noticed something on top of her bed. It was a letter.

She flopped down on the side of her bed and picked it up, and stared at the front of the envelope and its messy cursive writing.

_Axel Mortmain._

Tessa froze in place and a million things ran through her head. _What could he want? Why did he send me a letter? Did something bad happen? Am I getting fired? _She felt sick all of a sudden and didn't even want to look at her letter. Axel Mortmain was the head of this place who could decide whether she stays or can live in the streets in under a second.

But she _had_ to open it. So gingerly, she did. She pulled the paper out of the envelope and Tessa cringed. It wasn't even typed. He took the time to write it out by hand. Tessa gulped. This couldn't be good. She took in a deep breath, and read what he had to say to her.

_Dearest Theresa Gray:_

_You have been doing a fantastic job here. You seem to be doing well with all the patients here. And I must say: I feel quite obligated to give you a promotion._

That was unexpected. Tessa was leaping with joy.

_There is an opening at the left wing of the asylum. Would you like to take it? I feel you could help them as much as you did to your wing. Please write back as soon as you can._

_Sincerely,_

_Axel Mortmain._

Tessa wanted to scream with joy, but it was all ruined when her eyes fell on '_the left wing of the asylum._' No. No, she would most certainly not take it. The patients which she took over where the least crazy ones. But the _left wing_ was where all the psychos were. The murderous psychos who actually on occasion kill each other there, and sometimes the guards. No. Most certainly not.

But could she say no? Nobody said that to _Mortmain_, of all people. He could start your life, or ruin it. And he did not take no for an answer.

Tessa was conflicted. Maybe he'd be understanding. Hopefully he would be.

Quickly, she took a piece of paper and pen, and started writing in as elegant as script can be:

_Mr. Axel Mortmain:_

_I do appreciate your offer, sir, but I feel that I cannot take it. I am grateful, but I don't think it's the right position for me. Where I am currently is a good place for me, and I intend to stay there. Thank you, sir, but I can't. _

She scribbled down her signature at the bottom and took both letters in her hands.

Not caring about her current attire, she nearly ran out of her room and into Gideon and Gabriel's (they shared a room), not even knocking on their doors. They had a key card for each other's room in case of an emergency, and to Tessa, this was one of them.

"Gideon! Gabriel!" she gasped out and held up the letters. She dropped her voice to a whisper. "Mortmain offered me a promotion."

Gabriel brightened. "That's great!"

Tessa shook her head fervently. "_No_, it isn't. Guess where I might be working now? The _left _wing."

Gideon stood up. "The one with the major psychos?"

"Yes, that one."

Gabriel no longer looked happy for her and his mouth dropped. "He can't do that!"

Gideon sent him a pointed look. "Of course he can. Our lives might as well depend on him." Tessa had been making a pouty face and she hadn't even realized it. She wiped it off immediately.

"I don't want to go there," Tessa sighed out, sitting between the two brothers. "I'll do anything else, but the left wing?"

Gabriel raised an eyebrow. "Would you rather work in the infirmary?"

Tessa gave him a look and grabbed the nearest pillow and hit him on the head with it. "Of course I would, Lightwood. Idiot." He rose his hands up in surrender. "Anyway," she said, "I just wrote a letter but I don't know if I should send it. What if I get fired? You've heard that he never takes no for an answer."

Gideon shrugged. "Read it."

She sighed and took the paper out, and read what she wrote. When she finished, Gideon said, "Well, I think that's good. And if he does fire you, we'll quit." Gabriel nodded in agreement, and they both had solemn looks on their faces.

"No!" Tessa's eyes widened. "No, no. No you won't. We have a contract, remember? You're stuck here. And _please _promise me that you'd never do that. Ever. I'm not worth it."

Gideon rolled his green eyes. "Of course you are."

"Yeah, right. Like you'd leave Sophie," Tessa pointed out. Gideon fell silent and Tessa struggled to breathe. "Should I send it?"

There was an uncomfortable silence that none of them could handle. "Sure," Gabriel said finally. "He likes you. I mean, not in a creepy way, but he likes you."

Tessa scratched the back of her head. "I guess." She groaned. "I feel lightheaded."

"I'll make you tea," Gideon reassured and went into the small kitchen.

"Erm, English Breakfast please?" Tessa called out and he pointed a finger at her in acknowledgement, looking straight ahead and disappearing.

Gabriel sat back and his chair and grabbed the remote, turning on the TV before him on. "It's good to be off."

"Yeah," Tessa agreed. "It really is."

The thing was, all the usual guards were all off, and new ones were working. The very idea of it kind of concerned Tessa, but she tried not to think too much of it. Jem was off too, though he was probably asleep or something.

But it just didn't feel right.

She wondered how everyone was holding up, whether they were being treated nicely (or at least somewhat) or not. After all, they were expected to be disciplined.

Tessa looked over at the clock by the door. By this time, people would be out for showers, and really quick ones too. Sometimes they'd get beaten if they aren't quick enough, and they'd have to be careful to. She once heard of someone nearly getting pneumonia in the winter.

About ten minutes later, Gideon came in with her tea and Tessa smiled at him, mouthing a "thank you."

He took a seat next to her and they continued watching TV until Tessa told them she was tired, and she went to her room. But before she went to sleep, she sent the letter.

* * *

The next morning she woke up with a frown on her face and she grumbled, "Work. Great."

She got ready by putting on her uniform, a tight bun and hat over her head. She put on her black leather combat boots, tying them to the top. She grabbed her Taser just in case, and whistled a tune as she left her room, locking it.

She saw Jem leave his as well, and he smiled at her once and they left together out, but then someone Tessa hadn't seen before stopped them.

"Miss Gray," he said gruffly. "Mortmain has requested your presence."

Tessa was filled with fear at that moment, and all she could do was nod and give a weak salute before she walked off. Jem gave her a sympathetic look and she smiled feebly.

All thoughts had evaded her head as each new step brought her closer to his office. She gulped when she found herself in front of his door.

Tessa jerked and just barely shrieked as someone lightly tapped her shoulder.

And there he stood.

Will looked pretty casual as he leaned against the door to Mortmain's office, but that was only adding to her nerves. "Don't do that!" she exclaimed, jumping.

Will bounced off immediately, looking alert. "What? What did I do? What's wrong?"

She lowered her voice, "I have a meeting with one of the most powerful men ever and you're leaning on his door as if everything's okay and you know I personally think it _would _be better to work at the infirmary despite what Gabriel says and I don't know, I just don't want to go to the left wing!" Tessa said in one breath and was then panting for air.

Will was quiet for a second but was looking at her with a barely there, but puzzled look. "The left wing," he repeated slowly. "Oh, I know what that is. Isn't that where they put the bloodthirsty ones?" Tessa shot him a glare and he took a step back.

Tessa sighed. "Yes. And I have to be at a meeting."

He stepped aside. "I'll be waiting, you know."

Tessa turned the doorknob as she said, "Oh, I know." He stood aside as Tessa entered his office. She caught Will smiling reassuringly at her and she shakily returned it. And then he was gone.

Mortmain, like most antagonists in cheesy movies, was sitting in his chair facing the wall behind his desk. The chair, being a swivel one, spun around and he was face to face with Tessa, who swallowed anxiously. He had these dark, yet piercing, green eyes that stared right through her coolly.

"Good morning, sir. It's good to see you," Tessa told him, keeping her voice steady and clear.

Mortmain smiled at her, one that was disgustingly sweet. "I believe this is the first time we've met in person."

Tessa only said quietly, "I believe so."

"So you've received my letter. I must say, Miss Gray, that I was surprised that you didn't accept my offer." _Here we go, _Tessa thought. "But it is of no matter. Perhaps I could offer you something else, darling."

She stared at him. "What?" She shook her head. "Mr. Mortmain, I told you in _my _letter that I wish to not be in a different position. I prefer mine. I believe it to be a good one."

"That it may, but I could ask you to guard, say, me?"

Tessa cringed.

"Now, don't be like that," Mortmain said with a tsk. "I've taken a particular interest in you over the cameras. And besides—you'd get a higher pay! And… some other _delightful_ things that may occur—"

"Stop," Tessa said, cutting him off. She was absolutely disgusted with him. "I don't mean to be rude, sir, but when I say I like where I am now, I mean it. Thank you, but no thank you."

For a moment, she saw a spark of anger flicker in his eyes, but it was gone as fast as it came and he covered it with a smile. "I see," Axel Mortmain said quietly. "Well, I suppose not. Good day, Miss Gray. You are dismissed."

Tessa let out a breath and walked as quickly as she could without seeming rude and she opened the door, remembering what fresh air was. It was quite stuffy in there, all the more reason why Tessa wanted to throw up.

She looked over for Will, and saw him standing not too far away from the door, and he looked absolutely horrified. "This—this _Mortmain_ guy? How _dare_ he? How sickening!"

Tessa nodded and gave him a tight-lipped smile. "Bosses," she muttered under her breath.

"It's disgusting," Will continued. "You have a Taser. Why didn't you use it?"

Tessa gave him a look. "Will, sometimes, tasing people isn't the answer."

"Sometimes," Will grumbled, "it is."

"Yeah, well, he's my boss," Tessa said. "And the head of everything. He has his own company, you know. 'Mortmain & Co.' or whatever." She sighed. "If I did, I'd get fired. Do you _want_ me to get fired?" She took off her hat and took off the hair tie and her hair fell down and she briefly combed her fingers through it. She figured that if she'd be talking to Will, it could possibly be a long discussion and let all the seriousness away.

Will looked down at her. "Of course not. And the new guards are absolutely horrible. Nobody dares to even speak out in their presence."

Tessa gave him a look of silent inquiry, and he explained. As it turns out, they were strict like most guards, but the problem was that they had a tendency for beating at random and once, pointed a gun at someone's head.

She gasped. "That _is_ horrible! Will, did you get hurt?"

He shook his head with a smug smile. "Of course not. Anyone who even tries to ends up thrown across the table."

She knew it was wrong, but she laughed anyway. "I'm not encouraging it, though."

"Whatever. It already happened, though, and twice."

Tessa sighed but said nothing.

Will then looked over at her, and scowled. "By the way, if you ever plan on taking another vacation with your little 'security buddies' again—"

Tessa grinned. "Aw, did you miss me, Herondale?"

He rolled his eyes. "That wretched nickname again. I'm getting sick of it. And it's _my_ name."

She giggled. "Sorry, Herondale, but I didn't hear you denying missing my presence." She said it again only to make him more irritated.

Will beamed instead. "I did miss your lovely presence, in fact." She smiled and then looked down.

"It's weird," Tessa then said. "I shouldn't be telling you this…but you've already noticed that I, Gideon, Gabriel, Jem, and everyone's been off at the same time, right?" Will nodded, tilting his head to the side. "It's weird. We've never all been off at the same time. And the new guards, they've been like replacements, practically, for that amount of time. I feel like something's going on, but what exactly, I don't know. And I've tried not to depend on it too much since it's probably nothing. Anyway, I'm getting kind of paranoid with that, and Mortmain and all…"

"I'd tell you that we should just go out for a nice relaxing evening or something, but it's kind of hard to considering where we are."

"How are you here anyway?" Tessa asked. "I mean, not pry or anything. I know some things. But you're pretty normal."

He was quiet at first, that sort of quiet that Tessa felt wary to be near him. For a moment, she decided he wasn't going to answer and that she should just ignore it. But he did, surprisingly, answer. "Well, because my insane parents—they have a record too, just so you know—had enough of me and twisted the truth to the police. My sisters and I sometimes get in fights, as siblings usually do."

Tessa nodded, frowning at a memory of her and her brother having an argument.

"Sometimes things could get a little violent. Especially when we were kids and thought it would be a good idea to fight? Anyway. My beloved mother caught us one day, and was very disturbed by our previous behavior. And so she ignored like she ignores the rest of the family.

"One day at school I'd gotten into a fight with some person at school for some reason? It was stupid, and the boy's mum called mine. I've no idea how she got her number, neither do I care. She was very upset, and because I hated her and my father for lacking attention to me and my sisters, I got into more fights just to make them angry. You know, the whole teenage-rebellion thing.

"They eventually decided that it was enough called the police instead of talking to their son like most parents would. They told them everything and that I was always fighting with my sisters—which I wasn't, by the way; I love my sisters—and that I was very abusive, blah, blah, blah. Police took me away. Filed me as crazy or whatever. My parents thought that jail wasn't enough, so here I am. I still genuinely hate people in general. This Mortmain person gives me more reason. And that Ethan Peterson guy. Him too. Not you, though, if that's what you're wondering. But yeah, most stuff is just an act."

She couldn't believe that he told her that much, but she remembered Gabriel saying that he pulled his file, and that he had a rough childhood. His parents didn't really care for him or his sisters. Lots of fights.

"I—"

"If you say you're sorry, I will never speak to you again," Will promised.

Tessa rolled her eyes. "I wasn't going to say that. I was going to say that I know what you mean. About the parents thing. Mine are dead now, but they shared little interest in me and my brother. He's kind of a jerk now and an alcoholic who stays at clubs or whatever."

"Guess we're both kind of screwed up, huh?" Will asked with a grin.

Tessa shrugged. "Kind of. I had my Aunt Harriet. But she's dead, too, so…"

They walked along until they reached outside. Nobody else was there except her and Will. Everyone was in their cells. They both sat down on the ground, Tessa pulling at grass and just barely humming.

"Tessa?" Will asked after a while.

She turned her head to look at him. "Yeah?"

His voice was brought down to a whisper when he told her, "I like when your hair's down."

She smiled at him. "Thank you."

"And there's something else."

"What is it?"

"I really want to kiss you right now," he told her seriously.

Tessa arched an eyebrow. "Really," she said. He nodded once. Tessa gave him a shy smile. "Well, what're you waiting for?"

He grinned and Tessa found herself not even a second later on the ground, Will lowering himself down on Tessa and his arms on both sides of her and her hair splayed about her. There was a loud boom in the sky and Tessa tore her gaze from Will's to look up at the cloudy gray sky. She could only register it as thunder. It was hard to focus when Will was right above her like this.

He laughed softly as lightning crackled in the sky. Tessa closed her eyes as he bent down and their lips brushed lightly. She couldn't focus on anything only _Will Will Will. _The scent of him, his hair, his eyes, and his lips. He pressed them more firmly this time against hers, and slowly, their mouths began moving with each other's.

They sat up, still kissing, and Will's fingers found her hair and he played with it, twirling it, almost unconsciously. Tessa licked on his bottom lip playfully and he made a noise from the back of his throat. She started loving the fact that she caused the reaction.

His hands slid up and down Tessa's shoulders and her back as if he didn't know where to put them. She pulled him closer to her and reached up to his hair, entangling her fingers in his inky black locks. "Tess," he groaned.

Lightning flashed all around them, the sound of thunder echoing loud enough to cross the whole country only seconds later. Will's lips moved from hers to the corner of her mouth, and started planting little butterfly kisses across her jawline to her throat and to her neck. Tessa moaned faintly as he nipped slightly at the skin.

He pulled away and Tessa loosened her grip on his hair and laid her hands on his chest. "We should get inside."

"We _should_…" Will sighed. "And we have that Mortmain watching you." Then he cursed. "Did he see that?"

Tessa shook her head. "I brought us here to be alone, you idiot. I'm not stupid."

"I never said you were." He stood up and outstretched her hand for her to grab. She took her hat in one hand and his hand in the other. She got up and quickly wrapped in her hair in a bun, pulling the hat on top of her head.

He looked disappointed at her actions. "Regulations," she told him shortly. He rolled his eyes and they walked back inside, the backs of the hands just barely touching.

* * *

**A/N: **_Okay, so first I'd like to say how sorry I am for not updating in almost a month, but I've been working on The New Girl and I really need to finish it, so please forgive me. _

_Also, I realize that the kissing came a bit quickly. I mean, this is like the fourth chapter. But you know, they just had some heart-to-heart and who would turn down William Herondale? Honestly._

_I'd ALSO like to mention that in this story, each chapter's events don't follow immediately after each other. Who knows, this could be days or weeks since the last chapter._

_Review and you each get a giant cookie :3 _

**Disclaimer: **_I do not own The Infernal Devices or anything else mentioned in this story._


	5. Chapter 5

Tessa, for the next week, couldn't stop smiling.

Even the boys took notice, and when they ask, Tessa would start laughing and they would just send her weird looks, and then they would ignore her. Even while she was supposed to be serious, she struggled to hide a smile.

She's just joyful, is all. No harm done.

So when she sat down at their table in the dining hall with all smiles, Gideon, Jem, and Gabriel sat down in front of her with their arms crossed. Oh, great. Tessa's smile disappeared and she raised an eyebrow.

"Hi, Tessa," Gabriel said in a tone that was almost too casual. Gideon smacked him on the arm.

She cocked her head to the side slightly. "Hi…?" They were up to something, she knew, but what exactly? They never did this, and Gabriel's eyes were squinted in a way that almost made Tessa laugh.

"So," Jem started, "how's your week been going so far? Did anything interesting occur?" He leaned forward, waiting for her answer.

At that, Tessa felt heat rise to her face, but she just shook her head. "Not really," she told them. But she lied. In fact, it had been a week since she and Will kissed. Every day after, they'd pretended like nothing happen and would just joke around, but they didn't argue. They didn't do anything to annoy the other. Everything was good between them, and with each visit, Tessa's heart felt like it was soaring.

She was definitely happier. So when she looked past the boys and spotted a bored Will leaning against the wall with his food in his lap, not really eating at it but picking at it with a plastic fork instead, a small smile formed on her lips.

"There it is again!" Gideon exclaimed, pointing at Tessa, and her eyes went back to him. She furrowed her eyebrows. "What aren't you telling us?"

Tessa tried to look innocent. "What do you mean?" she asked, as if having no clue as to what they were talking about.

Gabriel groaned. "You've been all smiley lately. You're never smiley. You're_ Tessa Gray_." He added all these hand gestures and banged his hands on the table twice for "_Tessa Gray_."

She blinked. "Thanks?"

Jem sighed, throwing an exasperated look at Gabriel. "What he's trying to say is that we noticed something's going on with you—"

She scowled. "So you want me to be grumpy? Because I can be, if that's what you're asking."

Jem shook his head, eyes widened. "N-no! We're not worried or anything. Just wondering. After all, a happy Tessa is a good Tessa."

"So I'm not always happy," Tessa spoke slowly and evenly, enunciating each vowel.

Gideon threw a look at Jem, and then brought his head down. "That's not what we meant either. We just mean that you're happier than usual."

"And you want to know why?" Tessa asked.

"Yes," Gabriel said with a nod.

She laughed, throwing one of her fries at Gabriel, who flinched, and stood up from the table, about to throw away her tray. "Come on. You know me better than that. I would never tell." And she walked off, throwing away her food and caught the boys whispering among themselves, and Tessa rolled her eyes. Like she'd tell them.

When she came to sit back down, Gideon folded his hands on top of the table. "Tessa, look: you're like a little sister to us. You can tell us anything, you know." He even softened his voice for extra measure, the bastard.

Tessa shook her head. "I know. I just choose not to. By the way, there's another fight going on behind me, so…"

Jem scowled. "Goddammit, not _again_." And then he ran off to break the fight with Gideon following after him, leaving Gabriel and Tessa alone.

The moment he looked at her, Tessa said, "I'm not telling you either." And he swore, leaving Tessa to laugh and walk away.

She heard footsteps behind her and she knew exactly who it was. She spun around and…

Her heart dropped. Ethan Peterson.

She groaned internally. Not him again. "What do you want, Peterson?" she spat out.

He pressed a hand against the wall beside her. She rolled her eyes. One day, just one day, could he leave her alone? "Nothing. Just you." He grinned, and she could've slapped him, but if she did—well, she couldn't, not with Gabriel watching her (he'd restrain her, seizing her wrists and everything, friends or not) and there _were_ cameras.

"Ethan, I hope you recognize that nothing you say to any girl will ever work on them," she told him seriously. "I can guarantee you that."

Ethan shrugged. "Whatever. You're not much fun anyway. Maybe I could try one of the patients. Who knows."

She gaped at him, and then glared. "You disgust me. Lay a finger on one and I will talk to Mortmain personally about you." She kept her voice strict so it would sound menacing. And it fortunately, telling by the sudden fear in his eyes, it worked.

He raised his hands in surrender. "Fine! Fine, sorry. Don't tell him." He was begging like a child telling their teacher not to tell their parents. It was almost kind of funny, but Tessa didn't feel like laughing around him.

"Bye, Ethan," she muttered, and he coughed out a bye, and they parted.

She walked back to Gabriel and he scrunched up his nose in disgust and mocking a gag. "Ugh. Peterson."

"I know," Tessa said.

Later, Gabriel said, "Is that the newbie coming over here?"

Tessa perked up. "You mean Herondale?" she said quickly and stood on her tiptoes, and spotted him not making eye contact with either of them, but just casually heading in their direction.

Gabriel snorted. "You seem excited to see him."

She stiffened. "Um, he's been making a lot of progress?" she tried, but he barked out a laugh at her weak attempt. She mentally cursed herself.

Then he looked over at her with eyes wide. "Is he…"

"Is he what?" She narrowed her eyes.

He did an impression of her and did a pretend hair flip. "Oh, I'm Tessa Gray! I have a massive crush on Will Herondale!" And then he giggled in a falsetto voice. She jumped up and covered his mouth with her hand, looking around to see if anyone heard that.

"I hate you_ so much_, Lightwood," she growled. He was laughing hysterically, to the point where tears where falling out of his eyes.

Gabriel moved her hand out of the way, and let out a few more laughs. "So it's true?"

She slapped his arm. "Of course not!" But her voice betrayed her.

He snorted again.

"_Gabriel_," she whined, making a pouty face.

He sighed. "I won't tell anyone, I promise. Except maybe Gideon."

"Except maybe no one," she said, shoving him. Her face was as red as a tomato. She felt like she was in flames and decided that this was the most embarrassing thing ever to happen to her. Some people were looking and she had to shush Gabriel because he was still laughing.

Will came by that time. Tessa was relieved because he showed no sign of hearing their conversation, thankfully.

"The food here is absolutely disgusting," Will said with a grimace. Gabriel gave her _the look_—what a girl might give her best friend when a guy talks to said best friend. She subtly elbowed him. Then Will looked up and saw Gabriel, then Tessa, and then back to Gabriel. He tilted his head. "We haven't really talked before, have we?" he asked.

Gabriel mumbled no, but then said, "I'm Gabriel Lightwood." His voice was filled with pride.

Will locked eyes with Tessa and she could tell that he was trying not to roll his eyes, and then he looked back at him. "Will," he said simply. "You don't mind if I take Tessa off your hands, do you?" He, after a few moments, started to look impatient.

Gabriel looked down at Tessa with a smirk, and she scowled at him. "Why, I don't mind at all. However, she's not supposed to, but I think I can allow it."

Will looked unimpressed. "Um, okay. Let's go, Tess." And he pulled on her arm.

Before she left with him, though, Gabriel covered his mouth and whispered sharply in her ear with his words mashing up together, "_TESS. HE HAS A NICKNAME FOR YOU HOW ADORABLE OH MY GOSH!_" She glowered at him, and Gabriel laughed one last time.

_If he tells anyone, I will kill him_, Tessa thought darkly, but then her thoughts were erased as Will's fingers laced with hers and he pulled her away until they reached the front of the infirmary. They were in a dark hallway, too dark for cameras to see, the only light coming from the small window of the door that led inside the actual place.

She shivered. It was already cold there, but something about being there was just a little bit chilling. He pulled her down to the floor against the wall with him, and they sat there.

"So, why'd you bring me here?" Tessa asked, feeling the need to whisper. She could barely make out his face in the dark, but his eyes were bright and visible, even in the very dim light. She was willing to go here, of course, but she was naturally curious, so she had to ask. That, and she didn't want to sit in silence for the whole time.

"I can't spend time with you?" he asked back playfully. She was grateful that the darkness hid her blush.

"You can," Tessa said, "but not when I'm on duty. I have Mortmain watching at all times."

He hummed, but then stopped. "Oh, right. _Mortmain_. The disgusting boss?"

"Yes, that would be him."

"Ugh."

"Agreed."

After that, they just sat there in a comfortable silence, and Tessa took the time to think. She hoped no one would notice her disappearance. Gabriel probably made up something so save her, though. She's done it for him several times and he'd done it for her a few times too.

Gideon and Jem would ask, of course. And hopefully none of the others would too.

She couldn't stay for long, obviously, since she had a job to get to. But honestly it was nice to just sit there with Will for a while, even if it was in silence.

"So, is it true?" Will asked, and she snapped her head towards him.

"What is?

He paused for suspense and had a serious face. "That you have a _massive _crush on me."

Tessa stiffened, and stared at him in shock, feeling heat rise to her face. He snickered and Tessa groaned, hiding her face with her hands. "No, no. Gabriel—Officer Lightwood—just said that to annoy me. He saw you coming and just said that." Now would've been a good time to pass out or something. Her face was a dark, dark red—which he couldn't see in the light, thankfully. "_I am so going to kill him later,_" she muttered under her breath.

She put her knees up and hugged them to her chest, burying her face between them. He laughed and then gently rubbed his hand up and down her back. She sighed, closing her eyes.

"That's a shame," he said in a low voice, his hand stopping. She looked up, and met eyes with him. Even in the dark, they stood out, and those dark blue orbs were filled with what she could only identify as desire. "Because I happen to like you _very_ much. Massively," he added with a grin.

She scoffed. "You're joking." Tessa never saw herself as pretty. Her hair was a plain color, her eyes were a boring gray, and she's always been too tall. Nothing special. That's why men like Ethan Peterson pick on her the way they do.

As if reading her thoughts, he said, "Tessa, you're beautiful. But that's not why I like you, or at least the only reason. I like you because constantly surprising me. I like you because your stubbornness, and it matches my own. I like you because you love reading books. I like you because you're smart, and beautiful, and amazing, and funny, and sarcastic, and honestly, I—what?"

She was making a face. "You can't be serious."

Will threw his hands up in exasperation. "And I can't convince you of anything either. I'm serious, Tessa."

And she was now surprised. "Really?"

"Yes. That's what I've been _trying_ to tell you!"

She stared at him blankly. She never thought he would ever say something like that. He'd arrived at least two months ago, and in those two months, they both had limited time to spend, and they spent it together. A lot of bonding had been done, though she never expected this to happen.

"Oh," she mumbled, looking down, and then up. "Really?" she asked again.

"Damn it, Tessa," he whispered sharply. "_Yes._"

"Oh. Well, then I feel the same," she said lamely, and it felt like a weight was being lifted off her shoulders.

He furrowed his eyebrows. "But didn't you just say that Gabriel—"

"Screw what I said," interrupted Tessa. "And Gabriel, okay? He suspected something, but I never told him anything. I said that because I didn't know if you…" _Felt the same way_, she could've said, but didn't. She just trailed off, and Will slowly nodded.

Then he coughed, and she wasn't exactly sure what would happen next after their little confession. Then a thought came up to her head. Instead of being a normal girl and telling all her friends of Will, she couldn't really tell anyone. If someone found out, she'd be in serious trouble. A security guard having a relationship with a _mental patient _in the _asylum_? That wouldn't work out well. And she could possibly lose her job.

"We can't tell anyone," she told him quietly. "We could be in serious trouble." He nodded again, and Tessa exhaled in relief. She was worried that he might not agree to it.

"So what now?" he asked. "What are we?"

Tessa rested her head against the wall. "Well, to be honest, it wouldn't do either of us good if we were 'just friends.' Secret boyfriend, girlfriend thing? I don't know." She stared down at her lap, unsure of what would happen.

Will chuckled. "All right, then. Does that mean I'm allowed to do this?" He kissed her cheek sloppily, and Tessa yelped, only to laugh moments later.

"Maybe," she said with a grin. Then she pushed herself off the ground and stood at the end of the hallway. "I gotta get back now. I'll see you later?"

Will did the same. "You already know the answer to that."

She smiled. He'd follow her, no doubt about it.

"Okay, then."

"Okay."

And then she left to the security room minutes later.

* * *

That night, she met with Gabriel in the hallway as they were about to go on watch.

The moment she saw him, she, as hard as she could, punched him on the arm and he groaned, rubbing on it. "Tessa, what the f—"

"I hate you," she snarled. "Guess who heard your little speech in the dining hall?"

He tilted his head in confusion, but then exclaimed, "Oh! The one about you having a crush on the newbie?"

"He's not that new anymore," she mumbled. "And yes, that one. Will heard it, you asshole."

His eyes widened. "He did? Crap. What happened while you were gone by the way?"

She sighed. "I shouldn't tell you."

Gabriel shook his head and insistently said, "_Tell me._"

And she did, not the whole story, but the fact that he told her he likes her. He grinned at her, and patted her on the shoulder. "Nice one, Tessa!"

She let out a shaky laugh which then transformed into a regular, easy laugh, and he did the same. She jumped and high fived him.

Soon, Gideon walked in with Jem, whistling, and then stopped when they saw Gabriel and Tessa. Gideon stared at them. "What the hell?"

They stopped, and Gabriel let out a loud, awkward cough.

"What were you guys doing…?" Jem asked with a weird look on his face. Tessa tried not to smile. The whole situation was actually kind of funny.

"Nothing," they both answered at the same time, and exchanged a look. Jem eyed them before walking up to them and checking behind them, and then raised his eyebrows.

"Do I want to know?" he asked.

Tessa and Gabriel silently shook their heads.

Jem shook his head and gestured for Gideon to follow him, and he did. "All right, we need to be serious now."

They all nodded, and then walked to their posts.

* * *

**A/N: **_Okay, I'll remind you guys again: the days in the chapters do not go immediately after the other. It could be days or weeks away from each other. So yeah._

_*smiles evilly* By the way, the plot kicks in like a chapter or so. _

_Thank you for the reviews and thank you for the follows/favorites! You're all so amazing :)_

**Disclaimer: **_I do not own The Infernal Devices or anything else mentioned in this story._


	6. Chapter 6

"_Another_ day off?" Gideon scoffed, holding up a letter in his gloved hands. Tessa had joined Gideon and Gabriel in Jem's dorm. Earlier that day, Tessa—as well as most of everyone—had received letters from Axel Mortmain, stating that they were all free and Tessa thought this was going too far. It's not like they were complaining, but this wasn't supposed to happen. This shouldn't happen, and why Mortmain would let it is a mystery to her. This was absurd.

"It's ridiculous," said Tessa, throwing her letter upon the coffee table and sitting back on the couch. Jem had been next to her with Gideon on the other side. Gabriel was sitting on another chair, most of his focus on the TV and occasionally speaking his thoughts on the subject. "We might as well not work at all, if they're planning to do this so often."

"They can give us breaks on holidays or whatever, but if it's going to be this consistent—"

"Then what do they need us for?" Tessa finished, cutting Gideon off. They were the most outspoken of their little band of friends, and so it wasn't that surprising for them to be ranting about this. But Tessa was a little bit angry at Mortmain, and speaking her thoughts aloud helped.

Jem shrugged, and tilted his head. He had been mostly silent throughout the whole thing, not really concerned with the whole thing. "They do have those new guys taking over for us," he pointed out, and Tessa raised her hands up in the air, now frustrated with a new topic.

"And it's like they're replacing us! Which, by the way, is _another_ reason as to why they don't need us. We're supposed to be doing _our_ jobs, and then suddenly this whole armada of newbies comes and then practically steals our jobs." Tessa huffed.

Gabriel looked over at Tessa. He had the remote in his hand, and he was waving it around in the air as he said, "You talked to Mortmain before, right? Talk to him about this."

Her eyes widened.

"Absolutely not!" Gideon said, and she left whatever she was going to say to him. "We all know how powerful he is. He can put us out on the streets in an instant and nobody would care."

"And I already refused to one or two things that he's offered already," Tessa told him with a grimace, "and maybe, if I do it a third time, I'll get fired for sure."

"A second thing?" Jem inquired, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion. Tessa mentally smacked herself in the head. She shouldn't have said that. Now she would probably have to explain all of the details where Mortmain was being absolutely disgusting. _I've been taking a particular interest in you. And…some other delightful things may occur…_ She wanted to throw up. How horrible. Sickening. Revolting.

Tessa sighed, and she shook her head, refusing to answer. Instead, she told him, "I'd rather not say."

The boys shrugged—that's what she decided to call them: the boys—and she leaned back further in her seat, taking in a deep breath, and exhaling.

Gabriel then changed the channel, and Tessa mumbled, "I'll be right back." Jem nodded, though his eyes were glued to the screen as were Gideon and Gabriel's.

She only wore black sweatpants and a black tank top, not really bothering to change into something before she went inside Jem's dorm. Like Gideon had said, they were like her older brothers, and they really didn't care, and she didn't either. Her hair was down cascading down in dark brown curls, and she ran her fingers through her hair.

Of course, it _did_ matter when she bumped into Will in the hallway. She wasn't shocked or anything—training, after all—but was rather surprised, but then scowled. "Will, you know you're not supposed to be here."

She saw his eyes travel down to look at her outfit, and her tank top revealed her arms and also revealed quite a bit of her chest. She blushed, and then his eyes flitted back up to meet hers, absolutely shameless.

"I am very much aware," he said, looking behind him, and then back at her. "Interesting little getup you have there. Is that Victoria's Secret?"

Tessa rolled her eyes. "I'll kill you later since it's far too late now. Anyway, Herondale,"—she grinned as she saw him scowl in annoyance—"you're not supposed to be here."

He smirked at her, eyes twinkling with mirth. "Actually, that's where you're wrong. I'm heading for the showers, and they so happen to be _right there_." He even pointed at the direction, which was to the right of them.

"You better hurry then," Tessa told him. "You only get five minutes."

"Which is totally cruel, by the way. I heard someone got pneumonia." He shuddered, and Tessa found herself cringing as she remembered helping the poor girl.

"Four minutes," Tessa said after a second.

Will sighed dramatically. "I guess I'll be leaving then."

Tessa also did a sigh, but hers was in mock-relief. "About time." She smiled as he rolled his eyes. Then he reached for her hand, pulling it up slowly. He made sure she was watching by making eye contact with her. Then he pressed his lips against the back of her hand, and her cheeks stained pink, and he grinned, satisfied with her reaction.

"_Three minutes_," Tessa said, trying to keep her voice steady. "Better hurry if you want that shower."

Will raised an eyebrow at her. "You just can't wait to get rid of me, can you?"

"Three minutes and forty-nine seconds, three minutes and forty-eight seconds…" And then he was off, and Tessa snorted. She entered in the code for her room, and her door unlocked. She opened it and went inside her room. She only went for two reasons—one: she wanted a soda. Two: she just briefly wanted to get away from the boys. They were watching one of those guy movies with action and cars and all. She kind of likes them, in a way, but they're not really her favorite genre.

She snatched a Coca-Cola from her fridge and exited, locking the door and then headed back to Jem's dorm.

* * *

Ethan Peterson was highly suspicious.

The asylum, typically, was crawling with mentally ill patients. However, newbies (apparently that was what all the security guards called them) coming was always a rare event, so of course everyone would be interested in them—though it wasn't necessarily a good thing. Some of the more unstable patients would feel violence would be a better way of saying hello.

Ethan often communicated with some of people he'd likely get into a fight with. He enjoyed the exhilaration, the feeling of his heart pounding through his ribcage, feeling like it's just about to burst right out of his chest, the adrenaline. He enjoyed the pain, feeling actually alive…it was great.

Not that anyone supported this, and even he himself disagreed with his behavior, but he lived on it. He was addicted.

So of course, everyone was constantly gossiping about _the new Herondale guy._ But Ethan didn't really care. He'd only met him once, and that was the time when he beaten him to a pulp. It wasn't exactly one of his best moments.

Everyone knew Officer Theresa Gray. Most guys were a bit infatuated with her and others just simply like her presence. He'd noticed both she and Herondale (that was how most people addressed him, unfortunately for Will) had been getting quite close. Of course, he brushed it off as nothing at first. It wasn't anything new; Tessa always tries to bond with the newbies, and sometimes just mess around with them. But he'd noticed the constant joking, subtle touches, and the way they would look at each other.

And Ethan was highly suspicious.

So naturally, he went over to Mortmain's office and reported all of this to him. After all, no one was allowed to have a relationship with one of the patients, as the rules say.

Mortmain increasingly grew interested with each moment. Finally, he inquired with a raise of an eyebrow, "Are you one-hundred percent sure?"

Ethan flushed, not really expecting that. "No," he looked down, "I am not."

For a second, Mortmain's eyes flashed with anger, and then it was gone. Ethan was suddenly terrified that he had done something wrong by coming in to this office. What Mortmain said next surprised him. "I want you to spy on her. I want you to see if she truly is forming a relationship. If your suspicions are confirmed, then she will immediately be released. Understand?"

Ethan stood shocked, now regretting his decision in coming here. He didn't want Tessa to be fired. If it happened, then it would immediately be his fault and everyone would just loathe him. Most guys _were_ infatuated with her, after all.

And spying on her? That seemed a little crazy. And here he thought Axel Mortmain actually liked Tessa.

"I don't know," Ethan mumbled, eyes falling to the floor, suddenly very uncomfortable.

Mortmain slammed his fist on the desk, and Ethan flinched. "What do you mean you don't know?" His voice was eerily calm, contrary to his previous action. "You come in here telling me that you think Theresa Gray may be having a relationship with a patient, and then you tell me you don't know? She could be breaking the rules! This is unacceptable. It's either yes or no. Yes meaning you'll do it, no meaning you're not going to and you're just simply playing a trick on me."

Ethan blinked, hard and slow. He didn't want to betray her in this way, and spying wasn't his thing. But she _would_ be breaking the rules, if he was correct, and obviously, no one's allowed to break them, and Tessa wasn't an exception.

"I'll do it," he said, his voice shaking. Axel Mortmain smiled, now satisfied at Ethan's response.

"Is that all you have to say?" Mortmain inquired, and Ethan nodded. "Then you are dismissed."

And he left as fast as he could.

* * *

"Why are we here again?" Will asked, his eyes lingering on a lavender flower before walking straight past it.

Tessa hummed as she strolled along the cement path, looking around at hedges and kept her gaze on a large statue of an angel whose name was Raziel. She answered, "Gardens are supposed to be soothing to the mind. People like going here, and they all end up going some way or another. Even Jace likes it. Who knows? You might spend most of your time in here by the time this week is over."

Will shrugged. They sat down at a warm stone bench in front of a tall brick wall, covered by long vines and trees.

The sun was shining brightly that day, its rays of heat beating down hard on Will and Tessa. She had to squint as she observed her surroundings, taking in the maze-like scenery before her. Few people were there, scattered around at different areas.

Tessa really wasn't lying though. It was soothing to the mind, according to the nurses at the infirmary, and it really was. She felt like she could stay here forever and be at peace. It was a nice place to go to when someone wanted to think, and this was where Tessa did most of her thinking.

She remembered how astonished she had been when she first saw these gardens, and how she would run up to the flowers, inhaling their scent, and staring at their beauty in awe. Jem had taken her and he grinned as she rushed over to read the plaque of the angel Raziel, and his statue was staring down at her with a look of scolding almost. There was a sword strapped across his waist, a cup in one hand and a mirror in the other. _The Mortal Instruments_, it was called. It was an interesting title.

Will, though, was more quiet and thoughtful. He savored the sight, drinking it all in.

Suddenly, a questioned popped in her head. "How long are you here for?" she asked him, not able to help herself. He looked at her, surprised. _I like you because you're constantly surprising me_, he had told her, and she willed herself not to leap into his arms.

He bit down hard on his bottom lip, and looked at the fountain. "At least a year," he answered almost inaudibly.

She knew he wanted the change the subject. Seventy-two hours was the least amount of time, then they'd check with the psychiatrists, and they would see if you're sane or not. There was also two weeks, but that was it for a short period of time spent here. But then if you were going for the long-term, then there are the psychiatrists and the legal proceedings, et cetera.

Not the best thing to go through.

Suddenly, she remembered about those new security guards she kept constantly hearing about. She saw them, but never in action. She was curious, and wondered if they were as bad as Will said they were.

"What are you doing?" he asked, but standing up with her. She looked behind her, to the building, and started walking towards it, knowing he'd follow.

She ran her fingers against the wall as she walked. "We're going back inside."

Will snatched onto her wrist, and she stopped, looking at him in the eye. He slowly smiled—though it was a mocking one—and said, "I thought we were here because it soothes minds. And now we're heading into Hell."

"Very funny."

Tessa freed her wrist and rubbed it with her other hand, and pushed the doors open. But as she did so, she spotted a peculiar figure behind a nearby tree. Unsurprisingly, Tessa was wary, and she wandered over to it.

Will was waiting for her at the doors, watching her carefully with a tilted head, now confused at her actions. Tessa looked behind the tree, and saw no other than…

"Damn you, Peterson," Tessa grumbled. He widened his eyes. "Were you spying on me?"

His eyes widened even more, if possible, and Tessa scowled. He was stammering, "I…well…I mean…I didn't…"

Tessa sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Honestly, Ethan, _what_ were you doing?"

Ethan looked terrified. Tessa knitted her eyebrows together in confusion, not quite sure what was happening with him.

"Are you alright? I could take you to the nurse if you want."

He vigorously shook his head, and Tessa shrugged, walking back to Will. "Okay, then. Bye, I guess."

They stepped back inside the building and Will asked, "What was that about?"

"I have no idea, nor do I care."

She went through the twisted hallways until she found herself at the dining hall. Gideon was there as well as Jem. She had no idea where Gabriel was, though. Tessa approached them and Will just wandered off.

Their eyes lit up at the sight of her. "Tessa," Jem grinned, "nice to see you."

She smiled back. "Nice to see you, too. How're you both holding up?"

Gideon shrugged. "Pretty good, I think. Nothing interesting's going on." And by the looks of it, he was right. Everyone seemed absolutely bored and lifeless—from the staff, patients… Everyone was tired.

"Good to know I provide entertainment, then," said Tessa. Jem chuckled, and she, after a few moments, asked, "Have you seen the new security guards yet?"

Jem answered, "Nope, not at all. Why, you_ want _to see them?" He sat down at the table behind them, and Tessa joined him. Gideon just stood there.

"I'm curious," she told him. "Everyone says they're horrible. And I wanna see if that's true or not."

Gideon gave her dubious look. "I'm not sure you'll want to find out."

Hm.

"Sophie!" Tessa exclaimed upon seeing her walk over to them. She mumbled hi to them all, and then held onto Gideon's hand, pulling him away to the gardens, and he gave Jem and Tessa a questioning look. Then he was gone.

Jem looked over to Tessa, who raised her eyebrows and let out a low whistle. "That was random," he remarked, and Tessa nodded in agreement. "What do you want to do now?"

She thought about it for a moment; there was not much they _could _do that wasn't work. "I'm going to get some water," she told him. Jem nodded and followed her out of the dining room.

* * *

**A/N: **_This took a while to write and this wasn't a good place to end it, so sorry. For this story I really didn't want to write in anyone else's POV besides Tessa, but it happened. I tried really hard and then this happened. *sigh*_

_Anyway, I would like to thank you all for the reviews/favorites/follows. 35 reviews is quite a lot for only five chapters, so thank you all so much :)_

_By the way, if you didn't know already, The Pale Red Queen and I are writing a story together (our take on TLH), so you should read it, favorite/follow, and review :D_

**Disclaimer: **_I do not own The Infernal Devices or anything else mentioned in this story._


	7. Chapter 7: Psycho

One month had passed, and Tessa had no idea she was being spied on.

She was a lot busier now, so she barely got to see Will much, and when they did see each other, it was just a nod of acknowledgment, but nothing more. Obviously Tessa was disappointed, but she tried not to let it get to her. She didn't want to seem clingy.

Will had been spending more time with his psychiatrist lately, Mr. Baldwin, which was highly peculiar. Will was sort of depressing at times, so maybe that was the case, though she wasn't really sure.

Also, the little mini vacation everyone had appeared to have slipped away into the air. Now they were working all day, only a few people getting to relax for only just a few short hours. Tessa was always exhausted and was getting dark circles under her eyes. Gideon, Gabriel, and Jem were too. Tessa was counting her days till Christmas, the only week she had off so far. (Everyone says she works too hard, not that they're wrong.)

The only good thing that had happened recently was Ethan Peterson was moved to the left wing, so he was no longer bothering her, thankfully. But that was it.

Tessa tied her hair into a tight bun, staring at herself in the mirror for a few seconds to see a tired, yet serious young woman, whose eyes were starting to dull each day from being here. She didn't _hate_ being there, but she certainly didn't like it. She put on her hat and straightened it, letting a faint sigh escape her lips.

She turned away from the mirror and started walking out of her room, and met with Bridget in the hallway. Their instructions weren't completely clear; they were assigned to guard the building, so they weren't sure if it meant that they were just supposed to guard the general area (which was _very_ unclear), or perhaps the entrance. She just knew Bridget was supposed to be with her, unfortunately. No one really liked Bridget.

They silently agreed to go to the entrance.

Tessa kept her earpiece on in case of an emergency—you could never be too careful. Four hours had gone by and absolutely nothing happened. She was already uncomfortable in the presence of Bridget Daly, so that kind of dulled her typically sharp senses.

At the moment, she would do pretty much anything for a coffee.

There was a coffee maker in the front office, but the coffee was horrible. No one dares to go anywhere near it.

There was a faint buzzing sound in her earpiece that soon transformed into static. She pressed the microphone closer to her mouth and opened her mouth to say something, but the person radioing her had beaten her to the chase.

"Patient 00291 is requesting you, miss," a gruff, scratchy voice said to her.

"He in his cell?"

"Yep."

_Patient 00291._ That was…Julian Blackthorn. What was up with this kid lately?

"Confirmed. I'll be there in a minute," Tessa said, glancing quickly at Bridget.

The red-headed girl was obviously displeased. "_Where_ are you going?" she asked, her accent thick.

Tessa smiled. "I'm about to pay someone a visit."

* * *

Julian was not acting normal. He was trembling on the floor and was scratching at his arms to the point where blood was starting to come out. His dark brown hair was ruffled, he was paler than usual, and his blue-green eyes that Tessa admired were bloodshot with bags under them, and they were looking up at _her_, wide and fearful.

"Jules?" Tessa found herself asking.

He shook his head fervently, dropping his gaze from her and started muttering things under his breath. The only words she caught were, "No. Jules. Please. Emma. Silla, Silla, Silla."

"Emma?" Tessa's head went sideways. She guessed he didn't want her to call him Jules? "What did she do to you, Julian?" she inquired in a smooth tone.

If possible, Julian scratched even harder. Tessa inwardly winced. "It wasn't her. It was me. _Silla, Silla, Silla._"

Silla? What?

Tessa had to be honest. She was a little afraid at this point.

"Julian, what's Silla?"

He once again shook his head. "I trust you."

Tessa only stared.

Julian banged his head against the hard cement wall, groaning out, "_Drusilla_…"

She yelped and widened her eyes, crouching down next to him. He was still shaking. "Julian… Who's Drusilla?"

Tears were starting to flow down his cheeks. "She was just _thirteen_." She didn't want to come off as impatient, but she wanted to know more. _Why did you request me? Who's Drusilla? What happened to her? Are you okay? What's wrong?_

Julian was quiet for a very long time. The only sounds coming from him were his breathing and sniffling.

When he composed himself, he finally answered, "Drusilla is my sister. _Was_ my sister. I killed her two years ago and here I am acting like nothing's wrong." Then he slammed his fist hard against the wall and his knuckles were bleeding. "I'msosickohmygodkillme."

He groaned and his head felled into her shoulder. "Don't even," she said sternly. Then she changed her tone to a softer one. "Do you want me to get your psychiatrist?"

Julian laughed, but it was a hollow and bitter sound. A cold shiver crept down her spine. She was terrified of him. But he couldn't be. She was trained for these kinds of things. "God, no." His head rolled to the side, and for a moment, she thought he might've fallen asleep. But he continued. "Emma was blamed. That's why she's here. She's _fine_." He said 'fine' like it was something he had said thousands of times already.

"I killed her," he reiterated. "And I'm the crazy one. But she took the blame and I had to kill Mark so I wouldn't have to leave her alone."

"You didn't have to," she whispered, but she knew it was pointless.

"Yes, I did. I love Emma and I just had to be the selfish bastard I am. And you know what's even worse? I don't _feel_ anything. Yeah, I cried, but out of frustration," Julian went on. "But I do love Emma. That's the one thing I'm capable of feeling. You know what Silla said to be before the knife hit her? '_No, Jules, please_.'"

Tessa was sort of speechless.

"_Thirteen_," he gasped, dragging his fingernails across his face. She flinched upon seeing the red lines on his cheeks.

Silence passed between the two of them. Tessa absorbed the newly acquired information, not quite sure if she should comfort him or run away screaming. She did neither and just stayed quiet.

Then he grasped her hand. She stared at him with wide eyes. Julian was staring at her intensely; she felt cold all over. "Tessa, listen to me. Bring Emma in here. Just… Please." Then his eyes softened and he smiled faintly. "You're a great friend. You know that, right? I won't forget you."

Tessa stammered, and then said, "_What_? Julian, what are you saying?"

"Just get Emma. You mean a lot to me and I will be forever grateful that I met you."

"What?"

"Thank you." And then he turned around and was crying again.

She staggered out of his room, locking it and making sure it was locked. The whole thing creeped her out, but she did as he asked, and retrieved Emma for him. After letting her in, she made a mental note to call his psychiatrist later, regardless of what he said.

Tessa started walking away and bumped into Gideon. Overwhelmed by relief, she nearly hugged him. "Gideon," she gasped out. "Oh, Gideon, it was awful. Julian…I just…" She covered her face with her hands and shook her head.

"What did he do?" Gideon asked.

She stayed quiet for a few moments, and then uncovered her face, explaining what happened. His grayish-green eyes grew wider with each sentence and his eyebrows were furrowed. "And here I thought Julian was the normal one."

Tessa nodded, her hands put in fists and tucked under her chin.

"You better head back to your post," Gideon said in a low voice. She attempted a smile, and walked along to Bridget who looked like she was about to shout at Tessa, but upon seeing the look on her face, Bridget shut up.

Minutes later, Jem was running to her looking frantic. "James, what is it?" Tessa asked, searching his eyes.

Jem was staring at her, but he said nothing. Then, he pulled her away from Bridget and into the nearest hallway. This hallway was especially dark and quiet in sort of a chilling way, which made Tessa a bit more alert.

Jem was good. He was kind, funny, and her best friend. He told her everything and immediately after they happened, and vice-versa. But never before had he ever told her anything so tragic, nothing as painful or as terrifying.

"Emma and Julian are dead."

* * *

**A/N: **_I am REALLY sorry for such a short chapter (and that I had to leave it here) but I had to update. School's been overwhelming, so__I apologize._

_Julian…Wow, right? *cough* So far, based on the information Cassie's given us, it seems like Julian is like the Jem of TDA, yay! But I made him into a super-psycho *wiggles fingers* sp00ky!_

_If you enjoyed this chapter, please review/favorite/follow! I'm so grateful for each one and I'm so glad you all like my writing. Thank you all so much :)_

**Disclaimer:**_ I do not own The Infernal Devices or anything else mentioned in this story._


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